Yoke



YOKE

S. B. HASELTINE Filed Dec. 5, 1928 Aug. 23, 1932.

Patented Aug. 23, 1932 FFFCE smea B. nnsnmlnn, nlonl cnea nnrnors, ASSIGNOR T0 w. H. MINER, INC., on

H eAeo ILLINOIS, .eo ne oN n DELAWARE yoxn Application filedllecember 5, 1928.

This invention relates to improvements; in yok s 1 On objeet-otth inventi n to Provid a simpleendefieient .e nneetion be we n-the is upl r nd yo e. eta re wavd efrigglng roviclington ady atta ment -.and detac ment of the parts, ,oonlpnisingloeking members having shouldered engagement with the y ke and coupler butt, wh re n lew vel .10 connection i pr vi edbetw en th looking m ersand they ke, th reby, assur ng tn l s ld r engag ment be wee thelo hin memb rs and-th onnl but during angu ar g ng m vement oi t e couple with m spect to the yoke when ea s ereope at don curved track. 1 V, I 1

A more pe fi objec of th nventi n i to pro id o k g lemen t r v.o nneoti e' the T-h adecl butt end o e .conple shank to a yo e, where n th loek ngele nentsare.disosed .aboveand be ow h couple but and have transverse ibs forming shou de s co: perati g w th shoulders onlthe e nplenh tt. the locking elem nts. be ng as emb ed with theyoke bylateral inser ionrithro gh th openings provided in the sidewalls lo the hood of the yoke, the yoke and.locking-,,e1emerits. being provided wit cooperating shoulders presenting t ansversely. curved bear ng surfac s to allow orswivelingniovement of.-the.lockingt e ements to. permitswinging oflthe coupler, said locking elementsihav ing side, ribs embracing the coupler buttto prevent accidental removal ,ofithe parts. 1

135 Other and .furtherobjects.otthe invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinaftenfollowing. f

In the, drawing, forminga part of this specification, Figure 'lqis a side elevational view of .the innerlend portionof GQupler shank j and a 1 connected. yoke member, illustrating my improvements. in connection therewith. Figure 2 is-a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view, corresponding to the line 22 of Figure 3, the coupler shank gbeing omitted. .FigureBis a -horizontal,--.trans verse, sectional; view, corresponding substantially tjo the.line -3. 3 of Figured, with a .coupler shank EshoWn injdotted lines. 'And Figure 4 is a vertical, transverse, sectional Serial No. 323,804.

View c rre p nd b antia y t thelin A 4-4 ofJFigure; 1, the coupler shankbeing omitted. I

My improved yoke construction andcoupler connection comprises, broadly, a yoke 5}"; member A, a coupler B, and'a pair ofswivieled locking elements C.C. I V

The yoke A comprises the usual parallel spa d op d o tom rm l n ct: ed by a vertical rear end member 11 and 19 having .a 'hood at the forward end thepeof, defined by spaced horizontal top and bottom walls 12-12 forming continuatiqnsio fythe arm members 10, and vertical sidewalls 13-13 formed integralwiththe top-and ,bot- 5,? tom walls. The top and bottom walls are provided with transversely arranged. inner seats 1414 which, are curved. As 'most clearly shown in Figure 3, each seat has a concave front wall 15 .and a .conveX curved rear wall 16 concentric with the wall 1 5 The side walls 13 of the hood are provided with top and bottom openings 17 which are in alinement with the seats associated with the top and bottom walls 12.

The openings 17 allow insertion of the locking members into the curved seat-memhers. As shown in Figure 1, the openings 17 are of greater heightthan the depth of the seats, whereby locking members having ,9. side walls or flanges may be employed.

7 The'coupler B, the inner end portion of theshank. of whicl only is shown,is Qfifihat typehaving a T-shaped butt end portion, thereby providing top and bottom. trans versely. disposedabntment shoulders 18 18 which cooperate with the locking elementsC to hold the coupler assembled with. the yoke. As shown in Figure 1,,the shank, of the coupler adjacent the butt end is taperedoutwardly to a slight degree,

. FI-he locking members C, which are arranged above and below-the butt end of the coupler member, are of similar design,..each being in the form of a relatively heavy-block which, iscurved; tnansverselystofit Ethe corresponding seatl4c ointheyoke Each docking element Chas .a'ftransversely disposed front wallor flange :19 presenting a straight we transverseinner abutment face. E-achlocking element G is also provided with spaced side flanges 2020 which are adapted to overlap and embrace the opposite sides of the adjacent portion of the coupler butt. The front and rear edges of the locking elements C are curved to correspond. with the curved walls 15 and 16 of the seats 14, so that the locking elements will swivel on said curved surfaces. The opposite end portions of each locking member substantially lit the openings 17 of the hood, thereby holding the same in position against displacement in a vertical direction, thus serving to retain the same in proper position when the coupler butt is not in place. As will be evident, the upper locking member is thus prevented from dropping when the coupler butt is displaced rearwardly with respect to the yoke.

As will be understood, the usual shock absorbing mechanism and front and rear followers are disposed within the yoke when the same is in operative position on the railway car. The yoke and coupler are assembled before the shock absorbing mechanism and followers are placed within the yoke. In assembling the parts, the coupler butt is inserted in the hood of the yoke through the front end of the same and displaced rearwardly until the T-headed butt portion entirely clears the openings in the side walls of the hood and also clears the seats 14: in the top and bottom walls thereof. In other words, the tapered portion of the coupler shank is so disposed that the locking elements C may be readily inserted. The locking elements C are then applied by inserting each of the same through the opening in one of the side walls of the hood. When the locking blocks C have been completely inserted, the coupler is drawn forward so as to bring the butt portion thereof between the side flanges or walls 20 of the top and bottom locking elements. As will be evident, outward movement of the coupler with respectto the yoke will be limited by engagement of the transverse shoulders 18 of the butt portion thereof with the transverse walls 19 of the locking elements. Inasmuch as the transverse shoulders 18 and the transverse walls of the locking elements are straight, these walls Will have flat-faced shouldered contact. As most clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4:, there is a slight clearance between the side faces of the coupler butt and the inner surfaces of the side walls of the hood of the yoke, so that the coupler may have angular displacement with respect to the yoke to accommodate the necessary relative movement of the coupler and yoke when cars are being operated on curved track.

As will be evident when the coupler is swung to either side relatively to the yoke, the locking element C will be swung therewith, due to the flat-faced engagement of the shoulders of the coupler butt with the walls 19 and also due to the engagement of the side walls 20 with the side faces of the said butt. A swiveling action will thus take place on the front and rear curved bearing surfaces of the walls 15 and 16' of the seats 14. It is also pointed out that accidental displacement or removal of the locking elements is prevented by the shouldered engagement between the side faces of the coupler butt and the flanges or walls 20 of the locking elements. The side flanges 20 are of such a length that the coupler butt will not be disengaged therefrom during the normal rearward movement of the coupler with respect to the yoke during compression of the shock absorbing mechanism.

While I have herein shown and described what I consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a yoke and coupler connection, the combination with a yoke having a hooded forward end adapted to accommodate a coupler butt, the top and bottom walls of said hood being provided with interior transverse seat portions depressed with respect to the inner surfaces of said top and bottom walls; of a coupler having a shouldered butt disposed in said mood, said coupler butt having the top and bottom faces thereof fitting between the inner surfaces of the top and bottom walls of the hood; a pair of locking blocks disposed in saidseats and having shouldered engagement With the coupler butt to limit outward movement thereof and hold the same assembled with the yoke, said blocks having the inner surfaces of the main body portions thereof substantially flush with the inner surfaces of the top and bottom walls of the hood and in engagement with the top and bottom faces of the coupler butt, the hood of the yoke having openings in the side walls thereof registering with said seats to permit lateral insertion of said locking blocks, each of said blocks having shoulders on opposite sides thereof overlapping the sides of the coupler butt to prevent lateral separation of said blocks and coupler butt.

2. In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination with the coupler having a T- shaped butt end portion providing transverse top and bottom retaining shoulders; of a yoke having a hood portion at the front end thereof adapted to accommodate the coupler shank, said hood portion being defined by spaced top and bottom walls and spaced side walls, said hood portion having transverse seats in the top and bottom walls thereof, each of said seats having front and rear curved abutment walls, said side walls of the hood'having openings communicating with each of said seats, each of said locking blocks having the front and rear curved edges thereof in bearing, engagement with the front and rear curved walls of the corresponding seat, thereby providing for swiveling movement of said blocks with respect to the yoke, while holdpler butt, the coupler butt being movable with respect to said blocks inwardly of the yoke and held against movement outwardly of the yoke by the shouldered engagement of the butt with the transverse shoulders of the locking blocks.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3rd day of December 1928.

STACY B. HASELTINE. 

